My 18 month old male neutered Doberman recently tried to bite my arm and growled at me. I put him right in his crate for the night as punishment. He put his head down and didn't bark to be let out as he does when he doesn't want to be in there anymore so we know that he knows that he was bad.

We have had him since he was 5 weeks old and he has never tried this behavior before. I assume that he was trying to dominate me.

My question is how can I stop this behavior so it doesn't happen again?

Thanks, Stacey

Answer

Hi Stacey,

If you had asked me what to do with your 18 month old Doberman, I would have suggested doing the same thing you did.

With a dog that shows some aggression, you ask the dog to come to you. You don't go to the dog or offer treats. If it does come, in a calm voice, praise your dog. Treats can come later. What you want is to have the dog come to come to you -- especially you and not treats.

My suggestion is to enroll in an obedience school.

Remember to always be consistent and persistent when training your puppy.